Help me please...koi are dying

[Mmathis]

Right, and it doesn't really matter how things got to this situation.
The more accurate the information we have, the more accurate and effective our advice will be.
We all want to help get your pond back on track.

Double and triple agree!

 

[sweetbeats]

Okay. Fair enough. And thank you.

So...

I have a 75gal stock tank. This is what I’m understanding I do:

1. Line the bottom of the tank with rocks from the pond

2. Fill the tank with water from the pond

3. Ensure *some* form of aeration is setup in the tank

4. Put all remaining koi in the tank

5. Starting tomorrow, start daily 15% water changes until salinity is 0ppt (also execute water changes in pond to reduce salinity to 0ppt)

6. Monitor water chemistry and report here for advice

7. Monitor fish condition/symptoms and report here for advice

Have I got it right?

Should I check periodically to see if the fish are interested in food?

And in the meantime I’m detemining the most expedient place to purchase an API KH & GH test kit.

I’m also interested to see what folks here think of my idea of using the existing waterfall head as a waterfall box...I need guidance on what biological filter media I need.

 

[Mmathis]

I think in this case, as in many other cases.......we didn’t get the “whole story” right from the beginning. The story evolved, with the more questions we asked. I am going to start a new thread related to this so as not to complicate this one any more.

 

[MitchM]

...

Have I got it right?

....

Yes.
To start.

I think I saw you are on a well, so perform the same water tests on that water that you perform on the pond water (except salinity) You only have to test the well water once. The hospital tank should be tested daily for a few days at least.
Post the well tests here.
Take some pictures of the fish once they are in the hospital tank and post them here.
It would be a good idea for you to pick up a container of Pond Prime, in case there are some water toxicity issues that the fish need to be protected from during this process.
Don't feed the fish.

 

[sweetbeats]

Okay. Got it.

Is this equivalent to “Pond Prime”?

 

[MitchM]

Yes. Pond Prime is more economical, but same stuff.
Read the directions to see how many gallons that bottle will treat.

 

[sweetbeats]

Got it.

It’s essentially 1ml/gal. I’m not sure how much is left in the bottle, but my main point in asking is to verify it’s essentially “the stuff” since I know for certain it’s readily available at the local chain pet store that is in my commute path home from work.

Thanks everybody. Thanks very much. I apologize if I came across as short at any point, at least inasmuch as can be determined in a forum post. It really is driven by the desire to have a good environment for scaly friends ongoing, and to try and save the ones we have left.

And please, any input on my waterfall box idea would be welcome, and guidance toward filter media. I know it’s not the priority issue at hand, but it’s going to be an important project soon enough and our life here is unfortunately very full; I don’t want to delay project planning for this because it will have to be worked into the financial and time budgets and the sooner I can plan the sooner I can get started.

 

[Lisak1]

I think we could figure out a waterfall biofilter, but it may take a few more photos of your current set up. It may be that your waterfall needs deconstructing and some re-fashioning to make it work, but anything is possible. We may also be able to help with your skimmer baskets if we get some photos of those. Or if not photos, maybe some drawings of how you understand your current system to work. Like where does the plumbing run, where's the pump, etc.

And your posting has been fine - we can all imagine how frustrating and stressful this is for you!

 

[Tula]

I'm addressing your interest in additional biological filtration. I don't have specific details on how you would plumb it, but you will find it helpful to read up on these filters : Shower filters, Skippy filters and trickle filters.

 

[sweetbeats]

Thanks for the biofilter info. I’ll read up on those things.

In the meantime here is a YouTube video overview of my pond, some history, existing filtration systems, waterfall, plumbing and other features:

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=HE8hJlK_d4w

I got the quarantine tank setup...here is the rock before I finished adding water:



Here is a short video after transferring the koi...the large orange/black/white one is struggling the most. He’s been gulping for air in the pond and continues in the quarantine tank, tail down and head up. I don’t know how to help him:

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=0gm_8sZr_1I

And here is the quarantine tank after I put some aeration in...I’m totally unsure whether or not this is adequate aeration:

Here are the test results on the well water:

PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Salinity: 0ppt

And here are the quarantine tank test results for this eve:

PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Salinity: 2ppt

I’m not confident in the salinity test...can’t see why that would be so different today as compared to yesterday.

At his hour orange/black/white koi is really struggling.

 

[sweetbeats]

The medium size white one jumped out of the QT tank. I don’t know how long he was laying on the ground. I found him laying still but still breathing.

I put him back in the water as quickly as I could. He’s still breathing but just laying on his side on the bottom. He had a lot of dirt embedded on him. I *gently* cleaned off what would come off easily. I can feel a large section on his right side toward his tail that is missing the slime coating. I’m pretty sure he’s not going to make it. This is a nightmare plain and simple. The healthy ones try to comfort the sick ones. One of the small orange ones burrowed under the medium white one and just laid there. Earlier some of them were leaned up against orange/black/white.

 

[sweetbeats]

Orange/black/white is gone and so is the other large mostly white one. So all the big ones have died. The medium white one seems revived if not stressed...flashing around the tank. The smaller orange ones still seem fine. I’m going to get some sleep. My wife and I...this place was a fresh start for both of us...finding the koi here was an unexpected surprise after we moved in. It was sort of a crown jewel of a new beginning for us. They did so well for so long, and I did my best to learn what I could about when to feed them, how much to feed and buying good quality feed. We’ve worked pretty hard at keeping the pond clean, so it’s saddening and embarrassing that we were missing the mark on so many basics. Anyway...I don’t know. It’s not fair to the koi.

 

[addy1]

We’ve worked pretty hard at keeping the pond clean, so it’s saddening and embarrassing that we were missing the mark on so many basics. Anyway...I don’t know. It’s not fair to the koi.

A lot of us have all made mistakes that have hurt the fish. I wiped out a bunch of goldfish when I first added them to my new pond. At that time found out our well water has a ph of 5.4. I put the poor things into a acid bath. And I have built and had a lot of ponds, this was not my first.

You are doing your best to learn and move forward keeping the koi healthier. It will take some time to get a balance again, get a good filter going. Everybody here will help you.

Like said above you do need a good filter, I filter only with plants growing in a huge bog (up flow filter through planted pea gravel). My water never varies in its tests.

Hang in there we will help you make all better.

 

[MitchM]

That's frustrating, sorry you lost those fish.
Salinity does reduce the dissolved oxygen level, so it makes sense that the larger ones will struggle, especially if their health was compromised to begin with.
What are you using to measure salinity?
What brand salt did you use?
The aeration looks fine.

 

[Lisak1]

Ugh. We should have mentioned covering the tank. It's not unusual for fish to jump out of a temporary tank, especially if they're already struggling or stressed.

So much sadness in these posts. And I can hear the kindness in your voice. Please don't give up on this pond being a source of joy. We are all here because our ponds add so much to our lives every day - a place to relax, reflect, appreciate the beauty, and soak in the natural world. A good pond can be healing and energizing and restorative. A bad pond... well, I don't have to tell you anything about that.

You didn't do this to those fish - whoever built this pond without taking time to learn what was required for keeping fish healthy is at fault for that. You're doing the best you can. Hang in there.